Mike White, former Illini Football Coach, passes away

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#9      
BZuppke
He was such fun. Loved listening to him. I once sat in the barber chair next to him on Sixth Street getting our haircuts. He was often on campus interacting with students. Memorial was a wild time in the 1980s. Rest in Peace 🙏
 
#12      
Mr. Roberts
I still remember the first game he coached in 1980. The first play was an incomplete deep pass. The stadium gave the team a standing ovation (after Gary Moeller, we were just thrilled to see a pass). I still have my 1984 Rose Bowl football autographed by Coach White,
 
#14      
RabidDawgClassic
A great moment from that magical 1983 season.
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#15      
Centennial Illini
The Thomas Rooks run to beat Ohio State was right in front of me. That was the year the stadium moved, I mean literally. You had white caps in your beer.

There were only 2 televised games that year, Michigan and Michigan State, so if you wanted to see Illinois, you had to be there, crowds were crazy.

Some time later White said the night of the Michigan game he couldn't wind down so he went back to his office around 10PM and there were still a handful of cars tailgating.
 
#16      
TX Illiniwek
Sad to hear. He brought the first Illinois football success in my lifetime, after the Blackman and Moeller eras. Changed the Illini football fortunes by bringing in a bunch of JUCO transfers from California and engineered the first of our 10-win seasons since the formation of the Big Ten. Couldn't sustain the success but he brought the program out of the toilet, at least.
 
#19      
skamin7
He was such a great guy. I remember watching that '83 team playing Michigan from the old endzone metal riser seats as a kid. He came by and shook hands with us all after that game.
 
#20      
Todd99
Centennial Illini said:
The Thomas Rooks run to beat Ohio State was right in front of me. That was the year the stadium moved, I mean literally. You had white caps in your beer.

There were only 2 televised games that year, Michigan and Michigan State, so if you wanted to see Illinois, you had to be there, crowds were crazy.

Some time later White said the night of the Michigan game he couldn't wind down so he went back to his office around 10PM and there were still a handful of cars tailgating.
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They sold beer in the early 80's? That's way before my beer drinking days, but I thought this was a fairly new thing.
 
#21      
Mr. Tibbs
no beer then
I was a student 1979-1983

you were lucky to get a luke warm flat coke with no ice .

ROTC guys were vendors . not their fault , we just had the worlds crappiest supplies

warm Dasani water
warm coke
terrible nachos
popcorn

thats about it
 
#23      
IllinitripleJ
Somehow in the 1980s Illinois had "recruiting violations" but Michigan and Ohio State were clean. My problem with the Big 10, especially from 1966 through 2000, was the conference was dominated by Michigan and Ohio State. So those schools had no investigations while Illinois' BB and football programs were examined seemingly every year.
 
#24      
Todd99
Dkayak said:
It was BYOB. Discretely of course.
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Oh, okay, I gotcha

I was behind a guy going into the stadium at a game this year and he got pulled out of line going through security. He had baggie cargo shorts on, with large pockets on each side, and was packing two 20 oz. Coors Light aluminum bottles! He didn't make it. :ROFLMAO:
 
#25      
TampaToo
IllinitripleJ said:
Somehow in the 1980s Illinois had "recruiting violations" but Michigan and Ohio State were clean. My problem with the Big 10, especially from 1966 through 2000, was the conference was dominated by Michigan and Ohio State. So those schools had no investigations while Illinois' BB and football programs were examined seemingly every year.
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Coincidence as to NCAA headquarters location. Me thinks not.
 
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